There are known methods comprising subjecting a photosensitive laminate, wherein a peel layer comprising an organic polymer and a light-sensitive resin layer are located on a provisional support, to exposure and development so as to form an image on the peel layer and then transferring the image onto an arbitrary support. These methods are described in, for example, JP-B-46-15326 and JP-B-49-441 (corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,557). (The term "JP-B" as used herein means an "examined Japanese patent publication".) These methods are advantageous in that they are applicable not only over lay type processes but also to surprint type processes as a color proof. However they have some disadvantages in that it is required to use an adhesive upon each transfer, which makes the procedure troublesome, and the accuracy of site matching upon the transfer of each color is low.
In order to avoid this troublesome procedure, JP-A-47-41830, JP-A-48-93337 and JP-A-51-5101 each disclose a method where an image, which has been formed on an image-receiving sheet, is transferred by applying heat and pressure to the image-forming sheet. (The term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application".) JP-A-51-5101, in particular, discloses a method comprising locating a heat-fusible polymer layer as an adhesive on a permanent support, while JP-A-47-41830 discloses a method whereby an image is directly transferred to a permanent support such as art paper or coated paper.
However these methods have the following disadvantages. One of the disadvantages resides in that the final image thus obtained is in the reverse right and left of its original. Further, the use of the heat-fusible polymer having a high melting point elevates the transfer temperature. As a result, the dimensional stability of the support is lowered, which causes a deviation in site matching of the transfer of each color. On the other hand, the use of a polymer having a low melting point frequently causes adhesion or scratches after the formation of an image. JP-A-59-97140 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,482,625) discloses a method for improving these disadvantages.
In this method, an image of each color is once transferred onto a provisional image-receiving sheet provided with a photopolymerizable image-receiving layer prior to the transfer of the image of each color onto a permanent support. Next, the image is retransferred onto the permanent support and subjected to overall exposure to thereby solidify the photopolymerizable image-receiving layer.
This method is highly effective in solving the above-mentioned problems. Namely, it makes it possible to give a positive image of the mask original. Since an ethylenic polyfunctional monomer is used in this method, furthermore, the photopolymerizable image-receiving layer per se is soft at the transfer and makes it possible to conduct the transfer at a low temperature. Subsequently, the photopolymerizable image-receiving layer is solidified through exposure. Thus the layer has a high resistance against adhesion and scratches.
JP-A-61-189535 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,053) discloses an image-receiving sheet having a two-layer image-receiving layer comprising organic polymers located on a support. By using this image-receiving sheet upon the transfer of an image onto a permanent support, it may be arbitrarily selected either to transfer the second receiving layer onto the image layer or to transfer the image layer alone, by appropriately controlling the peeling between the receiving layers and that between the second layer and the image layer.
However each of these methods has some disadvantages such as bubbles form at the transfer and damage the image or the final product thus obtained shows adhesion when stored at a high temperature or high humidity.